thundersnowfandomcom-20200213-history
Tobias Gudbrand
|kanji= トバイアス グドブランド |rōmaji= Tobaiasu Gudoburando |alias= |race=Human |gender= Male |age= 61 |height= 6'5" |weight= |birthday= |eyes= |hair= |blood type= |affiliation= Toranku 15 |previous affiliation= |mark location= |occupation= Council Member |previous occupation= Rune Knight |team= |previous team= |partner= |previous partner= |base of operations= |status=Active |relatives= |counterpart= |magic= Weapon Magic Time Magic Telekinesis |weapons= |manga debut= |anime debut= |game debut= |japanese voice= |english voice= |image gallery= }} Tobias Gudbrand (トバイアス グドブランド Tobaiasu Gudoburando) is a member of the Toranku 15 who has become highly recognized in the city of ____ for his service to the people during his long tenure as Rune Knight Captain prior to his promotion. This swordsman's proficiency in both Telekinesis, and the Lost Magic Arc of Time, have served as tools for him to continue to fight for his passions and ideals, as well as defend those who cannot do so themselves. Appearance Tobias is a man who is frequently dismissed as "old" when he is so much more than the sum of his parts. The map of wrinkles on his face told of the most incredible journey. His eye lines told of laughter, of warm smiles and affection for the loved ones in his life. His forehead told of worries past and worries present. But mostly they are so deeply ingrained, that they told of a man who had traveled through six decades to that moment; his face beaten by the ways of time, but his spirit thriving on the experiences he has had. His hair, once gleaming in a long onyx curtain, is now grey in color and tied back neatly in a low ponytail. His twinkling navy eyes hold hidden mysteries behind them like that of the vast ocean and are framed by thick white eyebrows like clouds across the gentle sea. Beneath his slightly crooked nose, broken from a memory of time's past, is a similar magnum style mustache that is neatly trimmed into place. His crooked smile, often accompanied by his boisterous laugh, is then completely framed by his mustache and his close shaven anchor beard. This dapper man stands tall and proper, his broad shoulders conditioned to stand back at attention through his years of training and serving in the Cambium Knights. His muscles have become toned and aptly conditioned for both long term endurance and hard hitting blows in combat. He has achieved this look of precise, balanced musculature through his years of combat, his age playing a factor in his experience but not in the deterioration of his body. His joints maintain fluidity despite years of use, something attributed partly to the nature of magic coursing through his body and the vigorous regiment he has stuck to since his teen years. Tobias’ apparel is that which you would call a gentleman, sporting a formal evening tailcoat on most occasions made from barathea wool with grosgrain trimmed button. The onyx colored coat is pseudo double-breasted model with a sharply cut-away skirt and navy silk-faced lapels trimmed in white. It fits his torso snugly, even though it is cut so that it cannot be closed or buttoned, but none the less contours Tobias’ well-toned body perfectly. The front effect of the coat is always well opened, the lapels rolling to a little below the top button of the waistcoat from where the line slants away to the edge which inclines slightly upward and rounds into the navy backed skirt. The sleeves are cut short enough to reveal a gleaming expanse of white linen at the cuff, elegantly accentuated by the lacrima cufflinks Tobias always keeps on his person. One will note that the coat does not hold pockets, following the practiced etiquette stating that “the weight and bulge of loaded-down pockets will obstruct the graceful lines of the contoured dress suit”. Though Tobias has had his modified to include a hidden pocket on the inside of his coat’s tail, as to have a place to store his white dress gloves when at places such as the Toranku 15’s table. Beneath his coat is eggshell white gentlemen’s vest complete with four black grosgrain buttons. He has a cravat style collared shirt beneath, whose frills are held down by a classic black bow tie. His look is complete with full-dress trousers that are the same fabric as the tailcoat. They are a high rise waistline, flat front finished that cause them to sit just above the bottom of the coat's fronts. They are covered in two striped silk grosgrain trim to match the coat’s lapels. The evening suit’s refined minimalism is further aided by the placement of the side pockets on his trouser’s side seam rendering them virtually invisible. Polishing off his regal appearance is a pair of oxford dress shoes that are kept rather clean as to not disgrace the rest of his appearance. Personality Though many would be hardened by the years of battle and woes that plague the heart of a knight, Tobias remains the gentle idealist he was in his youth. It has always been in his blood to protect those around him strive to be the best man he could be; though he is not an idle dreamer, but a man capable of taking concrete steps to realize his goals of equality and make a lasting positive impact. Generally reserved in his speech, he can become so absorbed in his inner world that he is oblivious to the physical world. He can even be astonishingly good orator during the Council, speaking with warmth and passion if he is proud of what he is speaking for. Though he tend to present himself as the culmination of an idea, not as his genuine self, as he tries to keep his personal feelings out of his speech. This is partly because he believe in this idea, but also because Tobias is extremely private when it comes to his personal life, using this image to keep himself from having to truly open up, even to close friends. Trusting a new friend can be even more challenging than fighting for Tobias, as fighting is methodical and simple for Tobias, but opening up his inner feelings is like swallowing nails. He is decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain, and puts his energy towards helping others. Tobias will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity, not to create advantage, but to create balance in his environment. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to Tobias, and he has a tendency to believe that nothing would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the hearts of tyrants. Though as time has gone on, he is more prone to use verbal tactics and his swordplay if need be, as many people fail to accept compassion. Though his vicious rhetoric is almost always successful, as he can see through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, and can step past manipulation and insincere tactics and into a more honest discussion. He can see how people and events are connected, and is able to use that insight to get to the heart of the matter. It is this skill that makes him highly suited for the Council, as he ignores the fluff that people put into their explanations and gets down to business right away. Tobias is able to follow through on his ideas with conviction, willpower, and the planning necessary to see complex projects through to the end. He has rather strong intuitive capabilities, as he trusts his own instincts above all else. The passion of his convictions is perfectly capable of carrying him past his breaking point and if his zeal gets out of hand, he can find himself exhausted. But he always does his best to push past any challenge in his way, which is why some people have come to call him stubborn. On the other hand, Tobias is a perfectionist who doubts that he is living up to his fullest potential, and so he is rarely at complete peace with himself. He has a strong value systems, and he lives his life in accordance with what he and his fellow councilmen feel is right. History The Gudbrand Family has been a recognized household name within ____, holding candle to that of the Inari Family in terms of recognition within the city, despite the Gudbrand’s not being part of Hylion’s Noble Dynasties. Having been around since the times of the Great War, their skills as world class swordsmen have been marveled at and highly recognized from all those who hear the tales of their legendary Lotus Style of attack. Tobias, having grown up in the whirlwind of notoriety, had always been pressured to perform well with the blade; having it thrust into his hand from the moment he could stand. He had always had a great respect for his parents, marveling at the tales of battle and triumph that they shared with him, but whenever he went to spar with them he could never compare to the expectations his parents had of him. This filled him with self doubt and anguish, as he seemingly never met their expectations. It was because of this pressure that Tobias would practice five thousands strikes on a wooden post every night in order to improve his speed and someday best his father in combat. The first night Tobias made sure to clear his mind each time before striking, as to avoid a rage induced mistake, and so it took him 14 hours to complete his five thousand strikes. As time went on and Tobias began to slowly cut down the time needed to complete his own personal exercise, something awakened within him. Without realizing it, Tobias had awoken the Arc of Time ability within himself, speeding up time in his own personal realm so that what once took him 14 hours could now be completed in a span of 4 minutes. It was this skill that drastically improved Tobias’ skill in combat and allowed him to best his father at the age of only twelve. His father had not realized what had happened until it was over, but found that his son had awakened an incredible ability that deserved support and nourishment. Encouraging Tobias to hone this skill alongside the other magics of the Gudbrand Family, Tobias began to incorporate this training into his nightly regime. After a span of two years Tobias had developed his Arc of Time alongside his family’s Telekinesis and Weapon Magic, making him a fearsome foe for even that of a grow man. His nightly practice of five thousand strikes became muscle memory to him, and he was now able to complete it without magic in an impressive ten minutes. Tobias wanted to use these new skills he had gained to protect those who couldn’t help themselves, and so he followed the path of many Gudbrand before him, and enlisted into the Cambium Knights once he had turned sixteen. One day when he was practicing out in the ruins, working on different combinations with his sword, he ran into an odd girl who was simply gazing out at the flowers. Striking up a conversation with her, the two immediately connected and began to share stories of their time on earth. The girl, whose name Tobias had come to learn was Marnie, asked a question that would change Tobias’ outlook on the world for the better. Having shared that he joined the Cambium Knights in order to protect the people, Marnie asked “Do you think there will be a time when they won’t need to be protected?” Tobias was stunned for a moment, as he had never thought that far in the future before, but that time that she mentioned was something that he found himself aspiring for. This girl, the one whom after years of courting he would come to make his wife, had also given him a goal to chase after. A goal of a time where no one would need to be protected, because there would be nothing to protect them from. All those out in Earthland would be of equal standings, seen as friends in the eyes of moral justice, and would no longer hunger for power. It was that idealist society that Tobias believed he would be able to live out his life in peace with his wife Marnie. Knowing full well that a world of true equality could not be achieved, Tobias still fought hard to make the world he was living in as close to that dream as he could. His passion and skill quickly rose him up to the title of a Rune Knight Captain, where he motivated his men effortlessly and taught them all they needed to know to be able to become one of the most successful squadrons in their history. After his squadron had singlehandedly put an end to the activity of a growing dark branch in its attempt to infiltrate the Toranku 15's Archive system and used it's information to rob all banks in the local area. Once subduing the dozen member organization, this feat caught the attention of Council members, who then translated his prowess and accomplishments to that of the recently decided retiree of the Council. After looking into Tobias' record and conversing passionately with him, the retiree recommended him as a potential replacement for his position. After careful consideration from the Council Members, Tobias was selected to be the replacement for the retiree and secured a position among the Toranku 15. Magic Abilities Weapon Magic (魔力諸物器財造形魔法ウエポン・マジック, Uepon Majikku lit. Magical Energy Various Material Utensil Molding Magic), alternatively referred to as Weapon-Make for its capabilities is an exceedingly basic form of Holder Magic that can be considered a variant of Metal-Make or Metal Magic and a type of Molding Magic and Summoning Magic not dissimilar from the likes of Smithing Magic. This magic involves the creation of all forms of weapons, both short-range and long-range and armors in accordance to the mage's imagination through the usage of Ki and magical energy as a fulcrum to harden and forge it into any structure alloy-wise and form-wise, giving the mage almost unparalleled versatility in and out of combat, effectively generating tools out of thin air to use at any time. This is the signature magic of the Gudbrand Family, and a skill that has been passed down for generation of knights. *'Reinforce' (相増強リインフォース, Rīnfōsu lit. Aspect Augmentation): Reinforce is a Weapon Magic spell that enables Tobias to push a selected item, typically his swords, to its utmost limits, surpassing all limitations in order to quadruple its effectiveness. When performing Reinforce, Tobias gathers and condenses his magical energy upon an object of his choosing, using it to stabilize the coordinates and structure of the Ki and magical energy, as well as the atoms of an affected item, within a narrow area, with the energies filling the openings of the inner structure, resulting in the item receiving a massive boost in its parameters all across the board. Effectively, Reinforce allows Tobias to add something to an object that is already complete, making what is already seen as good great, in other words, the spell 'reinforces' the potential of the item of the his choosing. This spell can works on almost everything- it is capable of augmenting the sharpness of a blade, which could enable the weapon to slice through any magical barrier like a hot knife through butter; enhance the defensive capabilities of shields and armor, allowing a wearer to shrug off high-tier magical spells and harsh physical blows as if they were simply a cool breeze. It can also be harnessed on other things, such as reinforcing the stability of a building or the stability of a bridge. Interestingly, Reinforce has almost infinite uses- to create a weapon, all Tobias needs to do is apply the spell on anything from a paper poster to an actual weapon, and they'll get stronger. If Tobias wants to bolster his speed or strength, he can reinforce ha legs and muscles/hands respectively. To give himself sniper sight, all he has to do is reinforce his eyes, granting him the ability to see as far as ten kilometers away. Time Magic (時間のアーク Toki no Āku) is a form of Lost Magic that involves the usage of time as a means of combat. When Tobias first begins using his magic, his entire body enters a new form: a form that can actually reach out beyond the fabric of time through the flow of Ki that is all around the world. This allows Tobias to actually reach out and alter it through any direction in which a certain thing took in the past, be it regrowing a tree that was originally in the spot where it was or having one object multiple into many when it was produce. In some cases, This magic has been seen to have various implications that focus on altering the time of that object only while inputting their own modified form that Tobias enters when he use the magic. By altering the course of a set action through hiss spells, this allows for many different forms of combat related attacks that can often focus on any form of past, present, and future forms. It has been shown that this form of magic is able to affect various inanimate objects and few living objects such as trees, however it has been shown that any kind of attempted aging is only effected by those parts, meaning non-sentient and sentient beings are unaffected by the magic's alterations. It has also been seen that the magic has the power to even alter an entire area's time flow, allowing for a reversal of time, but usings the user's own time line as a source of power, resulting in the user giving up their own age in order to change the course of time even for a few seconds. *'Kyokushin Vision' (極真ビジョン, Gokushin bijon): Rather than a defined spell, this is actually a byproduct ability gained by Arc of Time users when they are facing a high level opponent and have a drastic rise in their circulating Ki. It has become a well known phenomenon among mages of different magics, though they find that this “time compression” moment is only fleeting during time in which their most powerful attack is about to collide with one of equal power from their opponent. For Arc of Time mages, however, this sense of slowed down time while in combat is something that can last for an upwards of thirty minutes when they begin to tap into their reserve power. Gaining the mark of their magic in both eyes, rather than just the left eye noted in Restore, Tobias is able to perceive motion at an accelerated rate of three times that of normal speed. That aside his body also displays signs of Tachypsychia, the altered perception of time many mages have experienced due to the over exertion of their body. So aside from perceiving everything in slow motion, Tobias experiences dilation of his bronchial passages to allow higher absorption of oxygen, as well as dilation of his pupils to allow more light to enter,and help in increased perception. It is common for Tobias to experience auditory sensitivity, allowing him to become acutely aware of his surroundings to reduce the chance of surprise attacks. *'Restore' (レストア Resutoa): Perhaps one of the most useful spells in Tobias’ arsenal is the ability to restore an object back into the state it was before it took damage. This spell seems to be controlled through Tobias’ left eye, his iris taking on features of an indescribable pattern when he activates it. Once active any object that he focuses his line of sight on is immediately restored to its original condition, regardless of the massacre it has endured. This can be highly effective during combat, for even if the object has been decimated through even the power of molecular deconstruction, Tobias must simply focus his gaze on that point in space and selectively turn back the time to bring his object back into creation; albeit this takes a bit more magic to achieve due to the fact that the structure no longer has any molecular ties to its former state. Tobias will frequently use this on his “token object”, his Astrea Dagger, to help restore any damage it might sustain during his attacks despite its highly durable metallic construct. An additional ability of this spell is the ability to restore Tobias’ own tissue back to its original state after injury; truly a sign of his prowess and expertise in this magic. This can be an extremely useful spell to help revert his body back to a time before a fatal injury, effectively saving his life. Ever since his adoption of this magic, Tobias has been practice this spell on his own body to reduce the amount of time it takes to cast it. Though small wounds and lacerations can take around 1-3 seconds to heal , a full body restore can take around ten seconds. Every day Tobias will spend these ten seconds restoring his body’s cells to their state one minute prior, using only a minuscule fraction of his magic to do so, but this practice has cut down his casting time in battle and has added 9.93 days on to his life thus far. *'Recall' (想起, Sōki):A misleading name compared to that of its effects, this spell allows him to alter his body to be as fluid and agile as he was in his prime of life, while still retaining skill and knowledge from current age. Similar to that of Physiological Meliorism, Tobias will use his Arc of Time to reverse the flow of time on his skeletal system, organs, and other various physiological processes to bring them back to a state of peak condition; one that hasn’t been degraded by the process of aging. Now due to his regime, his musculature has actually grow in power over the ages, and so there is no need to reverse that effect, but when it comes to bone strength, synovial fluid production, ambient Ki integration rate, respiratory and cardiovascular output, Tobias will seemingly gain a boost in his abilities to return to the time when he indisputably held the title of the greatest swordsman. A notable increase in speed and reflexes is the most apparent effect of this spell, as his speed becomes close to reaching that of a Light Magic user; while his reflexes and agility seem almost unnatural in the way that he can effortlessly dodge incoming punches within fractions of a second. Due to the effects of this spell being solely cast on his own body, it has no ill effects of the continuum of battle, and the Ki used to transform these biological characteristics can be recovered in just thirty minutes due to the increase in Ki integration into his improved circulatory system. The effects of this spell can last an upwards of two to three hours, though when it is complete, Tobias will suffer a great deal of pain caused by the return of his body to its current performance parameters. Tobias has explained this pain as if a force was trying to rip his insides out through needle holes in his skin, and thus it will incapacitate him for an hour or so as his body recovers. Though it has yet to occur, should Tobias wage a fight that lasted longer than these three hours after casting this spell, he would surely die due to his incapacitation giving a wide opening for his opponent. It is because of this that Tobias uses the spell against only those he deems a serious threat if left unchallenged. *'Flash Forward' (フラッシュ フォワード, Furasshu Fowādo): Tobias produces numerous copies of his token in the air that all represent "future possibilities" of his dagger’s path. The copies of the daggers typically fan out in a vertical circular fashion, though with numerous copies it can sometimes appear as a wall of metal. By taking each dagger’s potential path and compressing that future, he directs them all towards his target, leaving them trapped in barrage of daggers that can have devastating results. Compressing the future path of the dagger onto itself creates a buildup of chronokinetic energy that alters the flow of time for the object, making its travel time potentially twenty times faster than that of the normal flow on Earthland. However, the Ki needed to attain that speed requires time to collect; giving a target enough time to erect a barrier. It is because of this that Tobias will simply sacrifice the enormous amount of speed and cast Flash Forward-2 or whatever number he deems fit to denote the multiplier of time speed compared to that of Earthland. Due to the nature of this spell, dodging the daggers by simple movement is nearly impossible for average mages, even to that of speed enhanced mages anything above Flash Forward-4 is near impossible. It is this fact that the target will need to exert the Ki necessary to block the daggers in a physical barrier; slowly draining them dependant on the number of daggers created. This spell can last anywhere between one to five minutes, which can put a heavy strain on a barrier due to the frequent concussive force placed on it by the daggers blow, allowing Tobias to break through and subdue his opponent. An enhancement of this spell can come once Tobias has entered a heightened state and tapped into his second origin, a spell he has called Flash Forward Abyss (フラッシュフォワード深淵, Furasshufowādo Shin'en), that is created by compressing the future many times over on his dagger that it disrupts the space-time continuum in that pocket and creates a pseudo backhole around his token. As of age forty he could only perform this spell on one dagger alone, creating a pseudo blackhole that spanned three feet in diameter. As of now his is able to replicate that effect to six different copies of his dagger, allowing him to use them as a shield to swallow up and offending attack, or as an assault weapon that will easily cut through a target’s defense by swallowing up any matter in its way. Tobias will typically send one pseudo orb forward first to clear a path for the following orbs, for once one of his tokens absorbs the amount of matter equal to its size it will vanish from existence. *'Erase' (消します, Keshimasu): This spell is a modification of an object done via the principles of Flash Forward. Through the use of the ocular enhancement gained when casting Arc of Time, Tobias is able to send an object that aligns with his gaze far into its future to lead it to its eventual demise. By sending an object far into its own future, it will play out its own life cycle in a matter of seconds; crumbling into dust upon completion of this devastating spell. Tobias has proven to himself that this principle is able to work on inorganic solid matter, as well as a selected sample of organic matter. This gives him the ability to combat a variety of elemental magic ranging from Green Magic to Metal Magic, and has even tested this theory on those whom use insects to fight and effectively left the pests in a pile of dust on the floor. This spell does not work on intangible substances, such as light or fire, due to its indefinite lifespan and so it does have its limitations. Tobias has also made a vow to himself to never use this spell on a human, for although it would take a great deal of magic, he would never want to rob someone of their life like that in such a slow and mentally painful way. Should he ever result to the need to do such a spell on an intelligent life, Tobias would give his own life following suit. Telekinesis (テレキネシス Terekineshisu *'Photokinesis': Tobias can shape and manipulate light through the aid of their Ki control over photons. They can influence primary properties of light such as intensity, propagation direction, frequency or wavelength spectrum, and polarization. While its speed in a vacuum (299,792,458 meters per second/186,000 MPS) is one of the fundamental constants of nature, and once a mage is able to harness that speed they are able to perform a variety of feats through the use of photokinesis. Tobias has even been able to extend his photokinetic abilities to that of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Although a heightened sensing ability is required to distinguish the variance in the photons wavelength, once mastered, Tobias has a range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation; which (in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength) consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays , cosmic rays and gamma rays. Tobias can effectively cease all fire based attacks, as the heat generated from a flames is that of infrared light. This is because the photon emission from the combustion transfers the kinetic energy from the created photons to another body, which is what we feel as heat. Even thermal radiation up to 2000 Kelvin is 99% from infrared light. So most fire attacks are rather futile against her because Tobias can choose to manipulate the infrared light produced by the flames reaction and cause it to dissipate. This does come with limits however, such as he can only completely cool attacks that run up to 2000 K, making it very useful against fire attacks, as they can get up to around 1800 K. It is useless against elements such as plasma and lightning, which can get into the hundred thousands, or even millions as far as temperature. *'Thermokinesis' (熱エネルギー動, Netsuenerugìdō; lit. "Motion of Thermal Energy"): is an advanced Caster Magic and Subspecies Magic that serves as a template for both Pyrokinesis and Cryokinesis. Thermokinesis or Thermal Energy control is an unique variation or offshoot of telekinesis, that allows Tobias to mentally control the kinetic energy between particles at the atomic or molecular level: the greater the movement of these particles, the greater the thermal energy and vice-versa. Theo can mentally project an effect generating telekinetic field that speeds up the molecular oscillation of matter, causing them to generate great amounts of heat or even combust; thus giving rise to pyrokinesis. Once the fire is created, he could use his telekinesis to propel this so called "psychic fire" towards his opponent(s). Similarly, he reduce the kinetic energy of atoms and thus reduce temperature, causing them to come to a halt; resulting in them giving off cold energies and freezing (Cryokinesis). Tobias is so skilled and well versed in the use of this form of kinetic magic, that he was able to shoot out fire balls with one hand and freeze the ground below his enemies with his other hand simultaneously. Another way is to use the principal of thermal equilibrium and transfer the equal amount of heat from a hot object to a relatively cold one; so that they are in thermal equilibrium but the former hot object will in turn become cold and vice-versa. This can aid in turning the earth into lava by increasing its heat from that in the air, or melting glaciers by a similar principle. This control of temperature further extends to the Tobias' own body heat. Also known as "Bio-Thermokinesis", this allows Tobias to control his own body temperature as well as the temperature of at least one other person with him. This can be used to give him temporary resistance to cold, or even to conceal his body temperature. *'Geokinesis': With this Tobias is able to manipulate all minerals found in Earthland, including by not limited to rocks, ores and gems. Using these forces his is able to alter the objects position in space, also being able to manipulate the size and construct of the minerals, such as turning a pebble into a flat disc. Physical Abilities Enormous Magical Power: Tobias possesses a powerful and overwhelming magical power;the sheer pressure of his magical power so intense that its mere presence seeps under the skin of his opponent and raises an unnerving feeling within their bones. When exerting his magic it strongly disrupts the earth around him, but due to its affinity for time the objects that enter his aura are subjected to a strong slowing effect that only adds to the fearsome nature of his energy. Possessing what seems to be an unquantifiable amount of magic, Tobias can easily outlast his opponent in spell power and duration; this easily allows him to subdue his opponent as he will just be getting started by the time his target collapses from magical draining. His aura itself, aside from its magical properties in its effects of slowing objects, has blinded his enemies in both vision and in spirit from the frighting energy it gives off. *'Magical Aura(魔力の霊気, Maryoku no Reiki): A Magical Aura is a common term given to the exertion of magical energy into a form outside of Tobias's body that isn't used in the formation of spells. It has been demonstrated by various mages of varying potency, and is a common means of intimidation. A magical aura is created when the body's container of Ki particles exceeds the limits of what it contains, or is purposefully released by Tobias. Upon doing so, the magical energy surges around the body and is exerted outwards in the form of an aura, which holds considerable pressure surrounding it. Depending on the level of magical power one possesses and the control behind it, it can be used as a means to intimidate another individual, or as a preparation for a powerful spell. A single magical aura can have a wide variety of effects dependent on the power an individual exerts, which will be outlined in the following sections. A standard aura is produced by mages with a moderate level of magical power within their body. By exerting it outward, it forms a thin layer of pressure that can cause one to be intimidated if they aren't a mage, or if they are a rather weak mage. This is generally demonstrated by individuals of S-Class strength when they are holding back, or when standard mages are showing that they are entering their full reserves of power. It should be noted that the density of this aura, by a S-Class mage, can cause physical attacks to be repelled with notable ease. Tobias, being that of a higher caliber, is able to give off an aura capable of repelling average mage's attacks if he wishes. Although typically not resulting to such wasteful measures, Tobia's aura has been seen to be a whitish color and dances around like an ethereal mist. 'Ki Manipulation: ''' From a young age Tobias had been somewhat of a protegee when it came to drawing in ambient Ki from the atmosphere; even able to do it kinetically, rather than through traditional means of meditation. He has the additional capabilities of absorbing Ki into his magical origin, as well as manipulating the Ki for offensive, defensive, and supportive purposes in any way that he wishes; although it still requires a great deal of concentration for him to harness ambient Ki, and so it isn't used in battle frequently. Generally, a magician has an easier time collecting this stray Ki in environments with higher concentrations of it such as the area where a vicious battle between others has progressed. He has however, been able to manipulate his own Ki reserves with great skill, allowing him to execute attacks without excess waste of Ki. At the absolutely highest level, a master magician's Ki prowess functions as a defense against illusions due to their sheer mastery over it, making them all but immune to everything except the strongest of fabrications. *Physiological Meliorism (生理的な改善説, Seiri-tekina Kaizen-setsu) : Through the use of this magic a user is able to alter the efficiency of particular cells to allow for greater efficiency of a certain physiological process. Particularly used on the endocrine system, nervous system, muscular system, and skeletal system; this ability is able to effect all anatomical systems to improve a mages performance. This is done through the manipulation of their Ki, allowing their magic to act as a catalyst or substitute substrate in various reactions in the body. This can greatly increase the output and efficiency of cell, as the body is able to use a form that can be replenished slowly through the means of ambient absorption; which is far less finite than the traditional metabolism and production. ** '''Aldo Mena: Vigilant- Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands; especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion. So once Tobias is able to get control of the glands that secrete adrenaline Tobias may experience effects such as increased blood pressure allowing Tobias to react faster and become faster in general. As vasoconstriction occurs, Tobias may feel a bit stiffer afterwards using this. ** Aldo Mena: Unleashed- The manipulation of norepinephrine can be used to treat oneself and give Tobias one final push if he is extremely wounded or fatigued. Once Tobias seems like he is about to faint or lose a fight due to fatigue the norepinephrine can kick in to increase blood pressure. As norepinephrine is referred to as a "stress" hormone, using an excess amount can lead to organs being worn down faster than usual. ** Aldo Mena: Propogate- Using Ki as a substitute, Tobias is able to disperse Ki through the epimysium of the skeletal muscles and cause massive depolarization of the muscle fibers which causes the body to utilize all myofibrils during contractions. This can give Tobias an extra 20% increase in brute force, but this comes with a cost. Because he is overriding the bodies natural defense mechanism of not utilizing all muscle fibers, prolonged use of this spell can result in extreme tearing of the muscles and related torque injuries. ** Aldo Mena: Nutriment- but utilizing substrate substitution or Ki catalysis on the adrenal gland, Tobias is able to increase their levels of cortisol, a steroid hormone. One this spell is in effect, the body will begin gluconeogenesis, allowing the body to have an increased supply of "fuel". Although this can increase the output of muscles, but giving it the copious amounts of energy it needs, it is one of the more risky spells to use; as prolonged use can increase water loss, increase protein and bone degradation, and decrease immune and healing functions. So this spell is best used for a quick boost in power on a final hit. ** Aldo Mena: Inspiration-''' By increasing production of erythropoietin in the kidneys and liver, the body is signaled to begin erythropoiesis, or the creation of red blood cells. With physiological meliorism Tobias is able to increase their erythropoietin levels to hypoxic condition, which is about 10,000 mU of the hormone per milliliter of blood. This increase red blood cell production by almost 1000 fold, giving the mage a greater capacity for gas exchange, allowing their muscles to perform aerobic respiration and prevent the build up of lactic acid, which causes soreness. ** '''Aldo Mena: Vitality- Activating this spell will increase metabolic rate, protein synthesis, bone growth and repair, and increase the body's sensitivity to hormones like adrenaline. The manipulation of these hormones, via substrate substitution or Ki catalysis, will increase protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism of the mage's body and improve how cells use energetic compounds. ** Aldo Mena: Vigor- Manipulating the hormone produced by adipose tissue, a mage is able to increase the concentration of Leptin going to the hypothalamus. Using this spell helps slow down appetite, speeds up lipolysis, and maintain energy homeostasis allowing a mage to fight without fatigue for a greater period of time, while still maintaining substantial enough energy to fight at peak performance. ** Aldo Mena: Overhaul- Concentrating their Ki on the anterior pituarity gland, a mage can stimulate release of Growth Hormone (GH) to stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration. This allows a mage to recover from injuries and minor wounds within a matter of seconds. The effects of this spell is only highly effective on superficial wounds, yet it can help with deep wounds by increasing the healing process exponentially related to the amount of Ki output. ** Aldo Mena: Alleviate- This is a two fold modification that helps with releasing greater concentrations of enkephalin, a pain suppressant. This is one of the more difficult spells to master if Tobias wishes to grant instant pain relief. This can be done as a localized spell, or a generalized spell. Tobias will modify his Ki to act as a substitute preproenkephalin, a signal peptide that will cause the cells to release proenkephalin. If wishing to use this a precaution, a user can stop this spell in the first stage and allow their body to naturally create enkephalin through the post-translational modification of proenkephalin. If wanting to grant instant pain relief, Tobias may enter the second stage and use his magic to catalyze the proteases used to cleave peptide bonds on proenkephalin and greatly reduce the time for the opioid peptide to take effect. Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While not as skilled in the art as he is with his weapons, his family did teach him proper techniques to be quite competent and deadly when unarmed. Tobias has repeatedly shown his prowess in agility and speed, and when coupled with his impressive strength, his punches are unexpected and bone breaking. Additionally, he is quite inventive—coming up with creative attacks on the spot to launch against his enemies, finding ways to use the targets own body against them. Tobias excels in power, using strong and precise punches, such as power packed jabs or piercing uppercuts, to deal damaging blows to his opponents. Once he catches an opponent in his combos, he keep them trapped by increasing the rate of his strikes in a seemingly unpredictable manner, not allowing his opponents a chance to block or counterattack. Tobias has even learned how to improve the likelihood of landing his punches by sending the pressure waves generally delivered by his punches into their immediate future, causing them to hit half a second before they logically would. This helps him disrupt the rhythm of defense for his opponent, creating opening for subsequent blows to land. Tobais movements are consistently changing in such as quick manner that even the most observant of opponents have trouble following and blocking his hits. * Capoeira: Being a fast and versatile martial art, this style emphasizes using the lower body to kick, sweep and take down an opponent, while the upper body is used assist those movements and occasionally attack as well.The series of complex positions creates an uninterrupted flow, in order to strike, dodge and move without breaking motion, giving it the characteristics of unpredictability and versatility.The defense is based on the principle of non-resistance, meaning avoiding an attack using evasive moves instead of blocking it. This fighting strategy allows quick and unpredictable counterattacks, giving the mage with the fastest reflexes the upper hand. * Aiki-jūjutsu: Like other forms of jujutsu, it emphasizes throwing techniques and joint manipulations to effectively subdue or injure an opponent. With his rather quick reflexes and movements, Tobias is able to blend his defensive and offensive strike to fluidly neutralize an attack's effectiveness and to use the force of the attacker's movement against him. Some of the art's striking methods employ the swinging of the outstretched arms to create power and to hit with the fists at deceptive angles, this can easily level an opponent by striking vital points. This way Tobias is free to use her knee to pin his opponent, while leaving his hands free to access weapons or to deal with the threat of other opponents. When combined with Capoeira, Tobias can be highly lethal when subduing an opponent by alternating between the swift kicks of Capoeira and the damaging blows done by Aiki-jujutsu. * [[Ki no Michi|'Ki no Michi']] ' ('木の道, Ki no Michi lit. "The Way of the Tree") is a martial arts style created by the monks of the Minstrel Mountains. It is said that the monks created it to be an integration of their martial arts practices and the personal expression of their philosophy to "live like that of a tree. Staying sturdy with deep roots, even in the face of a growing storm or scorching sun." This fast paced, flexible style of martial arts focuses on neutralizing an attack early on or using the momentum and predicted trajectory to dodge said attack for a counter. It emphasizes a majority of throwing techniques and joint manipulations, although the use of a mages Ki, later realized to be Ki, is of great importance when delivering an effective block or counter. Also of particular importance is the timing of a defensive technique, either to blend or to neutralize an attack's effectiveness and to use the force of the attacker's movement against him. This means that a mage must be of fast body and mind in order to read an opponents intentions and movements in order to effectively block. ** God Cedar Cranial Descent (神杉頭蓋降下, Kamisugi Tōgai Kōka): Working best as in immediate counter move to follow an opponent's momentum, however, this move does require a great deal of strength to aid in the execution. As an opponent comes in for an attack, the mage will target the leading foot and scoop one the opponents thighs with their free hand. Using the opponents momentum to aid in their ascension, the mage will lift their opponent upside down so that their head is the closest point of contact to the earth. The mage will then proceed to drop to their side or back, driving the opponent into the earth on their neck and shoulders, or on the top of their head. If executed properly this move will follow one fluid motion and can leave the opponent with severe dizziness, a concussion, cracked cranium, paralysis, or even death if the opponent happens to land in such a way. ** Great Banyan Dance (大きなガジュマルの踊り, Ōkina Gajumaru no Dansu): Beginning with an Ki pulse from a low rise kick to the opponent's sternum, a mage is effectively knocked up into the air. Afterwards, the practitioner's moves will differ based on the opening they see. They will typically swivel gracefully to land a kick to the left side of their opponent. This will shift the opponents center of gravity on their fall to cause them fall on their side. On the opponents decent, a backhand strike to the face will shift the opponent's body to be parallel with the ground. It finishes with a Ki infused punch to the gut upon the opponents impact with the ground. This final blow has been seen to break ribs, and never fails to knock the wind straight out of their lungs. Mages have been seen infusing their own magic into the hits to make this dance much more lethal and powerful. ** Jaya Sri Maha Kick (ジャヤスリマハキック, Jayasurimahakikku): Once the practitioner is able to see an opening, they focus a great deal of Ki into their leg for power, while also maintaining their center of balance and delivers a kick at the opponent's weak spot. The only major weakness of this technique is that Tobias has to focus a great deal of Ki into his legs, forcing them to lower the power given to his arms; this can be covered by an X guarded stance, or use the free leg to block as well. With the swiftness and power concentrated into the leg, this is easily break bones if an opponent holds no defensive protection. This is also a versatile skill that can be used to launch a practitioner into the air with a vertical distance of 45 feet. ** Jōmon Sugi Thrust (縄文杉の推力, Jōmon Sugi no Suiryoku): This technique begins with an open palm uppercut to the opponent's chin at close range. Once the hand is placed against the opponent's chin, the free hand is then used to strike the connected elbow. The force created from both hands is now behind a single point that's in contact with the opponent's chin. Since the hand is already in contact with the opponent's chin, they won't be able to evade the second hit. This is a skillful move to evade a grasp, as your opponent is within range and would not be able to stand the backward force to their spinal column without releasing their hold. ** Chankiri Revenge (チャンキリ復讐, Chankiri Fukushū): With one arm cocked back, and the other extended forward, Tobias throws a punch from the drawn-arrow stance. He delivers an swift punch forward to the chest, using a pulse of Ki to knock the wind out of the chest. A swift turn of the hips will send the other hand to dig into the heart with wrist bent and elbow facing downward. The end result can lead to cardiac arrest from blunt trauma to the heart. This move does take a great skill of precision to deliver the second blow through the spacing of the ribs.So a mage must practice on a multitude of targets before delivering such a fatal blow. ** Kannimara Chord Cut (カニマラコードカット, Kanimara Kōdokatto): while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended. With fingers extended outward, Tobias covers his hand in a coat of Ki; at the moment of impact, the pronated hand is generally held in a horizontal orientation with the palm facing the ground. The power of this attack comes from it's ability to cut the vessels of it's opponent when executed with enough force. Using two fingers can cut off blood flow until the pressure is released, three can cause severe bruising, four fingers can cut superficial nerves and vessels, and 5 finger can damage muscle fibers. ** Tembusu Mania Blitz (テンブスブリッツマニア, Tenbusu Burittsumania): This strike follows a downward push of the target's own strike by applying fierce pressure to the joint's of the target's striking limb and causing it to lose it's consecutive momentum. Afterwards, fighter had to stiff his body to it's utmost limits on the moment of impact. When the practitioner uses it at the right moment in a strike, all of his joints will be fixed. Although difficult, if done correctly,they will strike with the weight of their whole body. When the strike is covered in Ki, and comes in contact with the water that makes up the human body, it sends a shock wave through the body that can temporarily paralyze the target. Grandmaster Swordsmanship: ''' From his upbringing Tobias was taught a variety of complex sword skills due to his family's heritage as swordsman to the King. He rather excels when it comes to using dual-weapons, moving fluidly and gracefully to block and strike down any enemy in his path. He has even been so skilled as to master the Lotus Style of swordplay. With the sword he has shown that he is incredibly skilled in the one handed grip, not losing a significant amount of power when compared to that of the usual two handed grip. He is able to unleashed swift strikes, often attacking in such an aggressive manner that his opponent is unable to retaliate or deflect all of the powerful blows. His speed at manipulating his weapons has even been able to deflect bullets and projectile from an enemy targets. His power with a weapon is also able to produce shockwaves from his strikes, giving him tremendous cutting power capable of effortlessly slicing through defenses while pushing enemies to their absolute limits. His defenses when blocking seems unmatched, and his offense is capable of tremendous precision. Utilizing evasion techniques, with effortless counterattacks, Tobais tends to use his speed to overwhelm the opponent and create an opening for himself. * '''Master Iaijutsu: One of the principle sword techniques Tobias has at his disposal, this technique is by far his most proficient. Iaijutsu is a combative sword-drawing art, but not necessarily an aggressive art, because iaijutsu is also a counterattack-oriented art. Iaijutsu technique may be used aggressively to wage a premeditated surprise attack against an unsuspecting enemy. This fits in well with Tobias' nature as he is never one to initiate attack without reason, and this art allows him to focus on counter attacks. * Jikishinkage-ryū: This is mainly learned to teach a mage footwork and breathing. The footwork used in the Jikishinkage-ryū style and can be translated as law, rule or method (for) transporting, conveying or carrying ('walking'). It is stressed that both feet stay firmly planted on the ground at all times. The kiai consists not only of the shouting, like most martial arts, but of the proper way of inhaling and state of mind as well. Every kata has two distinct roles called uchidachi, the striking/attacking sword, and shidachi, the doing/receiving sword. Roughly, the swordsman draws a semicircle (upwards or downwards) with both their right hand (holding the sword), and their left hand (free). They finish the movement with his arms extended, the sword pointing upwards, and the free hand's index finger pointing downwards. They represent all the things in heaven and all the things in earth, and the practitioner in the center of everything. Another typical technique is both arms movement in which uchidachi raises with both arms and receives the subsequent uchikomi with the side of the blade. This results in thrusting the left arm forwards and turning both arms outwards to allow to absorb shidachi's cut which is in kiritsuki style like performed by a kaishakunin. * Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Hokushin Ittō-ryū is a very intense dueling style, which focuses on simple and fast techniques where no unnecessary movements are made. Controlling the enemy’s center line with the Kiri-Otoshi and dominating him with extremely fast tsuki-waza are the signature techniques of this ryūha. The principles of this style are that a perfect technique should contain defense and offense in one action. *'Air Slicer '(エアスライサー Easuraisā):Her power with a sword is on par with that of any branch master, and she can also put forth a great deal of power behind her strikes. An example of this is her power to swing her sword with such great force that it creates a concentrated air current that is capable of slicing through objects in her path; regardless of if the blade actually hits the target or not. * Shield Breaker (シールドブレイカー, Shīrudo Bureikā): Shield Breaker is one of Tobias' most powerful sword attacks; when using it, he charges Ki into his blade, then she unleashes a mighty overhead slash, which causes a decent-sized explosion of power upon impact. Tobias takes a bit of recoil from the explosion, but because it is his own magic, the effects are minimal. * Marvelous Combination (マーベラスコンビネーション, Māberasu Konbinēshon): Marvelous Combination is a unique sword technique, as it consists of four different attacks chained together. The attacks simply change the motion trail of his sword, but swiftly moving the blade along with alternating wrist and pivot movements, it is extremely challenging to tell which angle the blade will be striking from. If the first hit connects, it is nearly impossible to escape the rest of the combo. This is a combination based on speed and misdirection, making it one of the most versatile moves for Tobias. *'Lotus Style': Intelligence: *'Tactical Abilities': *'Keen Observer': Resounding Strength: Tobias is capable of lifting and handling objects that are just over three times his own weight without strain. With a single punch he can shatter large portions of concrete and earth without any recoil. When punching he can cause a shockwave within the object to leave a crater impact and can crush most metals with a single hand, something that looks as if he is crumpling paper. In single jump he can reach several stories, catching many airborne opponents off-guard and attacking them in a normal fashion, albeit its limited to his endurance. Though many say his tremendous leg strength, when coupled with his agility and flexibility, would put him on par or above world class athletes. These feats are without the use of magical enhancement, meaning that his magic can give him immeasurable strength that many would never be able to see in their lifetime. But it is his strength and intelligence coupled together that makes him a fearsome beast, as he is able to quickly deduce the weakest point of an object to all his force to easily lift or tear through any substance put in front of him. High Pain Tolerance and Heightened Sensation: Tobias has shown excessively high pain tolerance, with markedly decreased endogenous concentrations of nociceptin (pain-activating neurotransmitter) and extraordinarily high levels of enkephalin and anandamide (natural biologically-occurring pain relievers), which both serve to decrease pain reception. Furthermore, their thalamus show super-threshold afferent and efferent innervation, especially to the eye, ear, nose, and somatosensors, thus increasing the ability of his central nervous system to receive and integrate external sensory stimuli. This increased perception time, in combination with his heighten impulse speed, has given him a reaction time of 0.047; a time twice that of the average human. Immense Durability: Tobias' body can endure more physical stress than the average person due to his time spent training his body and the numerous hits he has taken through the course of his life. Due to the constant strain and need to adapt to different foes attacks, his joints and bone structure have adapted to such strain, as the cells within his joints produce a higher amount of hyaluronic acid, lubricin, proteinases, and collagenases to increase the replacement of synovial fluid at an unimaginable rate. His body has also undergone extreme ossification of his bones due to the weight pushed upon them from constant training and the frequent bombardment of attacks put on them throughout his six decades of living . He can withstand great impacts, such as being thrown through a stone wall, being blasted with impact-based magic at a close range, and overcoming the pressure put on by a gravity mage attempting to crush him. His bones have become so adept to taking hits that they can basically act as a shield against punches, kicks, and even elemental enhanced hits without bruising against the force. High Acrobatic Skills: Tobias can perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts with ease, even despite his age. Tobias is extraordinarily limber and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's, making feats such as flips and springs as easy as breathing. His most astonishing feat is his enormous vertical leap, having the clearance of a 72 inches from a standing position. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most skilled acrobats and easily incorporates this into his fighting style and swordplay. He has impressive personal strength and phenomenal equilibrium, making him one of the most lethal combatants; as accomplishing feats such as scaling a wall, evading trip wires, and leaping from roof support beams is easily accomplished with little to no discomfort. Some say his movements are attributed to his experience as a Rune Knight, having encountered a great deal of situations that he has had to overcome. Incredible Speed: Due to his magic's nature affecting that of his body's physiology, it has given Tobias the ability to move his body at speeds that some deem inhuman. Tobias is capable of running and moving at speeds that are far beyond the natural physical limits of a normal mage which allows him to surpass the typical reaction time of his opponents. Without the aide of his time altering magic he is able to achieve speeds of up to 60.3 mph at his prime of 23 years old. With his old age hurting his joints ability to withstand the force of such speeds he has slowed to a speed of 56.7 mph, yet is still clocking in at speeds far faster than any average mage he has faced. However, due to the therapeutic nature of water and its ability to relieve pressure on his joints, he can surprisingl swim at speeds around 93.4 mph for an extended period of time. This fact has severed him well in battle when an opponent thought it was safe to flood an arena to wash away Tobais; but the Toranku 15 member was able to overcome the force of the waves and even swim fast enough to generate a whirlpool and wash away his opponent in his own magic. With the aid of his magic his speed becomes irrelevant, as his alteration of time allows him to appear as if he is teleporting from spot to spot, covering distances of 2 miles in just over a second at his peak performance. This time augmented speed slowly increases as his aura begins to leak out of his skin during battle, making him gradually appear faster through the course of battle; something that often surprises his opponents. Trivia * Tobias' appearance is based off of Wilhelm Van Astrea from the anime Re:Zero. * His Arc of Time magic is a play on the plot line of the anime from which Tobias' appearance is from. This is further drawn upon by the fact that his token item for this magic is his "Astrea Dagger", an allusion to the base character's last name. * Some of his swordplay styles are based off of Zoro's Three Sword Syle, Ike's moves from Super Smash Bros, Saber's style from Fate Zero, and Killer B's Acrobat style.